Steve Di Giorgio has an enviable list of heavy metal greats on his résumé – the bassist has played with the likes of Testament, Sebastian Bach, Death and Autopsy. However, one of his most surreal moments was working as a sideman with Dave Mustaine on Megadeth’s 2022 record, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!
“When [David] Ellefson was having… I don’t even know what to call it… his online episode, we were all kind of watching what was gonna happen,” Di Giorgio tells Bass Player, referring to the leak of sexually explicit videos featuring Ellefson.
While Di Giorgio acknowledges that “people have been exposed in the press” for a range of scandals, he mentioned that what happened in Ellefson's case was “pretty unique.”
“That stuff comes with the territory. I felt like if you put yourself in the guy’s position, how horrifying [it is] to be so exposed like that. We were all watching, and when he was booted from the band, and he made his statement about him doing nothing wrong, it just kind of faded away.”
However, Dave Mustaine, and, by extension, Megadeth, still decided to distance themselves from Ellefson and were on a quest to find a replacement. Turns out, Di Giorgio was at the top of his list.
“I was surprised when the phone rang, and it was Mr. Mustaine looking to get me to replace Ellefson,” he relates. “I was like, ‘What the hell?’ It was not expected… I just didn’t picture it happening. I felt like there were so many other deserving bassists who would have fit the role better, so I declined.
“I didn’t wanna mess up my longterm Testament gig, and I didn’t feel like I was the right guy for the job. But he [Mustaine] said he needed to hurry and finish the album tracks because whatever Ellefson had contributed was erased, and they’d gotten rid of his participation.”
Megadeth not only needed to get the record done, but also required someone to step in on the touring front. Di Giorgio was conflicted, and proposed “some kind of juggle where I don't mess up my Testament plans.”
He continues, “They were like, ‘No, we need a full commitment.’ I was like, ‘I can’t do that,’ so I declined again. And then, the third time came, and they said, ‘Okay, we want to present two different offers. You have a reputation for coming in and getting recordings done on the spot. The first offer is to come to Tennessee, do the record, and during your stay, we’ll see if this is meant to continue.’ I said, ‘Okay, that’s definitely something I’m used to doing.’”
Lo and behold, Di Giorgio got on a plane and promptly finished the tracks. However, the more they talked about the record's potential success, the more he realized he couldn't commit to a Megadeth touring schedule.
“So, I just told him [Mustaine], ‘I’m happy where I am. I’m just gonna stay loyal to my bros.’ I knew I was kissing a good gig goodbye, but I was fine where I was. Everybody understood, and we parted as friends. It was a great experience.”
And, as far as working with Mustaine, as Di Giorgio aptly puts it, “Megadeth is Megadeth, man. Nobody’s gonna go in there and reinvent it. That’s Dave’s world. He has a specific sound and way of everybody contributing to make that sound. I just put my session hat on and approached the job the way it needed to be approached.
“But I know people wanna assume the worst and say he’s some kind of dictator and forced me to do it. It was totally not like that. He was super-cool and a very chill dude. I didn’t come in there all brash, thinking I was gonna reinvent the wheel.
“He felt relaxed around me, and he opened me up. It was a total positive and an unexpected experience,” he concludes.
Bass Player’s interview with Steve Di Giorgio will be published in the coming weeks.
In more recent news, Mustaine revealed the real reason why he’s being forced to retire Megadeth.
